Overview & Reviews

A relative newcomer to the American marketplace, Hyundai is a Korean automaker with a product line that has improved greatly over the past decade. Hyundai cars and SUVs provide a high level of content for an affordable price, and are currently backed by one of the industry's longest warranties.

In 1947, Chung Ju Yung founded the Hyundai Civil Engineering Company. Mere months later, the outfit was bombed in the Korean War. However, the company regained its footing to distinguish itself as one of Korea's leading construction enterprises during the 1950s.

By the late 1960s, Chung had turned his attention to the automobile industry. The Korean government at that time believed that it made more sense to import vehicles than produce them domestically, and had made its opinion known. Still, Chung opted to follow his own convictions, and in 1967, he founded the Hyundai Motor Company.

The company quickly established an alliance with one of the industry's oldest automakers, signing a two-year contract with Ford in 1968 to share assembly technology. Hyundai's first car, the Cortina, was created from that partnership. The manufacturer's first car to be designed and built in Korea was the compact Pony (although the car was based on Japanese technology courtesy of Mitsubishi). The vehicle made its debut in 1974, and the following year Hyundai began exporting it to overseas markets.

Hyundai entered the U.S. market in 1986 with the introduction of its subcompact Excel. The car was an immediate hit, with its supreme affordability being a primary selling point. More than 100,000 Excels were sold stateside in the first seven months. By 1988, Hyundai had begun to produce cars using its own technology. The midsize Sonata was the first fruit borne of this endeavor.

Unfortunately, Hyundai's nascent image was soon tarnished by the poor durability and reliability of its vehicles. Sales tanked. However, rather than abandon the American market in the '90s, Hyundai chose to invest heavily in new product designs and improvements in overall quality and reliability. In 1998, Hyundai also purchased Kia, another Korean automaker, to expand its business and economies of scale.

It all started to pay off by the start of the new millennium, with the 2001 Elantra in particular showing massive improvements in overall quality, reliability and performance. Other models followed suit and the desirability of Hyundai cars increased sharply. Providing an extraordinarily long warranty period didn't hurt either.

Today's lineup is indicative of Hyundai's complete turnaround. Hyundai has a vehicle for nearly every segment, including the economical Accent subcompact, the popular Elantra compact, the midsize Sonata sedan (also available as a hybrid), sporty Genesis and Veloster coupes and a couple of stylish SUVs. Hyundai has also expanded into the entry-level and premium-level luxury sedan markets with its Genesis and Equus sedans. Having gone from being the butt of late-night TV jokes in the 1980s to a well-respected manufacturer of quality vehicles, Hyundai has created a very inspiring rags-to-riches story.

User Reviews:

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  Ive just bought a terrific Elantra - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Laurenbogle - March 8 - 2:00 am

  After my parked 98 Accord was totaled by a reckless driver that was driving too fast my heart broke. I thought nothing would be able to replace the Accord. However the moment I test drove the 2004 Elantra it felt right. I felt so comfortable and safe driving it, I had to get it!!!! The exterior/interior are very classy looking and ive been getting tons of compliments on it!!!! Lauren

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  Lov it - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By band man - March 8 - 2:00 am

  I love my Sonata LX. It has leather seats, lots of pep, and a great ride on the highway.I am enjoying the sound system, moon roof, and all the other extras.

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  Highly Underrated - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By MemphisMark - March 8 - 2:00 am

  After driving my 2004 Sonata for seven weeks, Im convinced I made the right decision. We have been so pleased with it that my wife went and purchased a 2004 Elantra. The warranty is impossible to beat at any other dealership. The car rides very comfortably and handles extremely well in both city and highway driving. Its stylish design is far more attractive to me than the high-backed Nissan Sentra and the squared-off Toyota Camry. I highly recommend this car.

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  2004 GLS with all extras - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By lesleyk - March 8 - 2:00 am

  Just bought this car and love it. It handles well and is a smooth, comfy ride so far.

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  GOOD VEHICLE FOR THE PRICE - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By POLICE1 - March 8 - 2:00 am

  FIRST NEW CAR I BOUGHT IN YEARS AND AM WELL PLEASED. WOULD RECOMMED TO A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER.

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  Great Santa Fe - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By band man - March 8 - 2:00 am

  I love my Santa Fe Lx. It has so many extras. I have leather interior with seat heaters, a great sound system, and it runs great on the highway. You have to watch the speed or you will catch yourself going too fast.

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  Hyundai Santa Fe AWD 3.5L - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By hbtx2 - March 8 - 2:00 am

  The car is a great value for the money. It comes with every possible bell and whistle for about $22,900. I now have about 13000 miles on the vehicle. When delivered, the car had a transmission leak. The entire transmission had to be replaced. It was replaced with little or no resistance from the dealer or the manufacturer. There have been no other problems with the SUV which is very enjoyable toown

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  EXTREMELY IMPRESSED WITH PRODUCT - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By K.J. Crawford - March 7 - 7:46 pm

  I am the proud owner of a new 2011 Sonata Limited....Black with grey leather interior, sunroof, etc. Everything except the navigation system. I am amazed at how quiet this vehicle is. When sitting in a parking lot sometimes, just idling I cannot tell if the car is ON or not!! Rides nice and smooth. The looks of the car compete easily with Lexus, Acura, and some other more expensive cars. I love my new car.... I heard bad things about Hyundais years ago, and was a little reluctant to buy, but after reading reviews with Consumer Reports, and a few others, I was convinced that Hyundai did their "homework" to make their vehicles move up with their reputation.

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  Best SUV in its Class - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By fe lover - March 7 - 10:00 am

  For the past 30 days, our crystal blue Santa Fe has been proving to us that we made an excellent purchase. Its not just the price, warranty, V6-power, ride, comforts, and solid construction. Its the whole package. Its appearance seems to match well with its qualities. I also love driving this vehicle. It does not matter what others think about the car maker as long as I love driving it. A serious vehicle worth your money. At least a test drive.

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  Performace - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Konrad - March 7 - 10:00 am

  This vehicle is capable of putting out at least around 300 hp mark without the use of t/c or s/c just by boring out the trottle body and the manifold , with titanium piston rings , headers , ignition and ecu upgrade . Also with proper intake and cooling , straight pipe with no restrictions on it this car creates the cometition for the upcoming RX-8 and nissan Z. This is a big step for hyundai in the racing industry . Keep up the work on creating the next "supra" .